Willing Obedience Part 2

1 CHRONICLES 28 & 29

(29:14-17) But who am I, and who are my people, that we should be able to give as generously as this? Everything comes from you, and we have given you only what comes from your hand. We are aliens and strangers in your sight, as were all our forefathers. Our days on earth are like a shadow, without hope. O Lord our God, as for all this abundance that we have provided for building you a temple for your Holy Name, it comes from your hand, and all of it belongs to you. I know, my God, that you test the heart and are pleased with integrity. All these things have I given willingly and with honest intent. And now I have seen with joy how willingly your people who are here have given to you.


After David disclosed his shocking news to Solomon and the assembly, he then looked to the assembly and told them that Solomon was young and inexperienced. He said the task at hand was great because the work was for God not man (29:1).

David continued by expressing the importance of their hand in this, their willing hand. He gave the example of his giving; not to boast but to encourage them to do it as well. Besides David's giving of his time and using the country's alloted money toward the building and decorating of the temple, he then went on to express his willingness to go above and beyond and give of his own personal possessions. (29:3-4) After that he said "Now who is willing to consecrate himself to the Lord today?" (29:5)

To consecrate is to "give entirely to a specific person, place or cause; to render holy by means of religous rites." (WordNet) So what David was asking them was: Are you willing to completely focus on the task at hand, not allowing the worldly issues to get in the way; and are you willing to set yourselves apart from worldly sins (be holy) in order to build this Temple which must be made with pure sinless hands?

Shockingly the assembly gave; not only gave but gave willingly. The Israelite people rejoiced at the willing responses of their leaders, for they had given freely and wholeheartedly to the Lord. David the king also rejoiced greatly. (29:9)

David was so excited that he praised God right their in the assembly meeting. After his praise time he then got a bit serious and utilized this time to teach the assembly during his prayer. He knew that in and of themselves they weren't anyone special to build as extravagant a Temple as they were. It was God who had provided them the means to do it because everything was His anyway. David said "We have given you only what comes from your hand." (29:14) David also expressed that the reason it went about that way was because God was testing their integrity and willingness to give. They could have kept their possessions God had given them. Yet they chose to give back to God in order to build a Temple in honor of Him.

We have a responsibility to uphold. As Christians it is our duty to use what talents we have and possessions we own to the glory of God and to the furthering of His kingdom. We should not be leaving it up to our Pastor to do the work for us. Everything we own belongs to God: our time, money, possessions, talents. It was God who gave it to us but He is letting us decide what we are going to do with it. He wants to know if we have a willing heart for His work.

Time-- If a member of your church is ill do you call the pastor to go minister to that person or do you take on the responsibility and go yourself? If a sinner comes to the altar for salvation do you leave it up to the pastor to disciple that person or do you take the time to teach them? Are you making yourself available to the pastor for anything he may need?

Talents-- Are you praising God with the talents He gave you? Do you sing with your band but not with the worship team? Are you leaving it up to someone else to teach a Sunday School class? Are you great at plumbing and electricity but would rather have the church spend extra money to hire a professional to fix what is needed instead of you doing it for free? Do you hold any responsibilities in the church?

Possessions & Money-- Are you tithing all the time? Do you go above that and buy things the church needs without expecting reimbursement? Have you asked the Pastor what is needed in the church?

There is much work to be done in building the Kingdom of God. We all must work together to accomplish it. If we leave it to one man to do it he will eventually burn out. As wise and powerful as Solomon was, even he and his father knew he couldn't do it alone.

And now the bigger question: Who is willing to consecrate himself today to the Lord? We can give of our time, talent and possessions but if we aren't living a godly and holy life then our work is not pure. David could not lead the Israelites in building the Temple because he had shed blood on his hands.(28:3) God wants us to set ourselves apart from the world, that is: not do as they do. Sin should no longer be an option for us. Our focus should be on building God's Kingdom not on what the world desires.

You may think "Wow, God exects too much from us." Does He really? One, He is worthy of all He expects. Look at what He has done for us and given us. It is all His anyway. Two, all that we do is for the building of God's Kingdom. If we don't do our part we may be a part in someone not making it to heaven. That is an eternity in hell.

I encourage you to get more involved in the building of God's Kingdom. If you don't know what you can do to help ask your Pastor. He would rejoice in your willingness to help. God Bless~